This invention relates to an improved slotting head for use with paperboard printer slotters. More particularly, it relates to an improved slotter head constructed such that the slotter knives carried by the slotter head can be easily and quickly, manually, adjustably positioned to change the cuts made in the paperboard by the slotter head.
Slotter heads on printer slotters are well-known in the art. Generally, the slotter heads are provided with at least two slotter knives which project beyond the periphery of the slotter head and each knife is adapted to cooperate with an annular groove in an opposing female slotter head. The slotting heads are mounted on rotatable parallel shafts. The slotter knives have been customarily attached to their respective heads by clamping bolts. The clamping bolts are adapted to be loosened manually so that the knives may be circumferentially adjusted on their head in order that they may be used to slot different sizes of box blanks.
In order to adjust a slotter knife, it is necessary to move sections of the printer slotter away from each other to facilitate access to the slotter heads. Thereafter, bolts are loosened and one knife is adjusted circumferentially with respect to the other knife. Each knife must be adjusted in this fashion. Obviously, this is a time consuming task. If different sizes of paperboard box blanks are to be processed during a given period, considerable time is lost in making the necessary adjustments to the slotter knives.
Various arrangements have been proposed to set the slotter knives, including many arrangements where the slotter knives are set simultaneously on all of the slotter heads. These arrangements generally are complex, and not entirely satisfactory, for one reason or another.
In accordance with the present invention, these slotter knives carried by the slotter head are adjusted circumferentially with respect to one another simply by manually operating a handle which functions to release a locking mechanism. Once the locking mechanism is released, one of the slotter knives can be adjusted circumferentially with respect to the other kinfe simply by manually rotating it. Thereafter, the handle is once again manipulated to cause the locking mechanism to lock the adjustable slotter knife in a fixed position with respect to the other slotter knife.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved slotter head constructed such that the slotter knives carried by the slotter head can be easily and quickly, manually adjustably positioned to change the cuts made in the paperboard by the slotter head.